After redefining the concept of "development hell," Stephen King's genre-spanning The Dark Tower actually, genuinely has its stars in Idris Elba, who'll play Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger, and Matthew McConaughey as the face- and name-shifting Man in Black. The news came via King's Twitter on Tuesday morning. He also did a long interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying:

“The thing is, it’s been a looong trip from the books to the film. When you think about it, I started these stories as a senior in college, sitting in a little shitty cabin beside the river in Maine, and finally this thing is actually in pre-production now. I’m delighted, and I’m a little bit surprised.”

Of the (amazing) choice to flip Roland's race, King says:

“For me the character is still the character. It’s almost a Sergio Leone character, like ‘the man with no name.’ He can be white or black, it makes no difference to me. I think it opens all kind of exciting possibilities for the backstory.”

And guess what, Constant Reader? The series' opening line, and the most famous in King's canon—"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed"—will open the film, too. Seems like we're in great hands.